JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a press conference in Jacksonville Tuesday to urge voters to vote "no" on Amendment 4 in the upcoming General Election.
Early voting began in Duval County Monday. The governor was in South Florida that day with South Florida doctors holding his first "Doctors Against Amendment 4" press conference. He was joined by about a dozen more doctors on stage at the Sacred Heart Jacksonville Parrish Center on the Westside Tuesday in an identical press conference.
"We are really thrilled to be here with so many great physicians, and these are all doctors you're going to hear from who are very much opposed to this proposed Constitutional Amendment 4 that's going to be on your ballot," the governor said.
The text of Amendment 4, titled "The Amendment to Limit Government Interference With Abortion," states:
"No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient's health, as determined by the patient's healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislature's constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion."
DeSantis again emphasized the fact that the amendment goes against the state statute that requires parental consent for abortions for minors, saying it is "bait and switch" to just use "notification."
He also expressed his disproval of the phrase "healthcare provider."
"Maybe even more crazy than that, this amendment, you have to read it very carefully, it displaces the role of physicians when it comes to abortion," he said.
The governor says the amendment substitutes "health care provider" for "physician," to which he claimed could mean anyone who identifies as a health care provider could then authorize abortions.
"Why would you want to displace the role of a medically trained doctor in this? That is a crazy change," DeSantis said.
DeSantis also said the amendment doesn't define "viability," which he claims to mean abortions could take place as far as six months into the pregnancy.
"It's really grotesque, but you gotta go into this eyes wide open," DeSantis said. "It may not be comfortable to hear... but when you start talking about putting something in the constitution, I think people should know the truth about what is at stake here."
A group critical of DeSantis issued a statement condemning the use of government resources to hold the No on 4 event.
“DeSantis continued his weaponization of state government against his own constituents by coordinating a taxpayer-funded press conference with the political campaign opposing Amendment 4 in his quest to silence the voices of doctors and patients suffering under Florida’s extreme abortion ban,” said DeSantis Watch spokesman Anders Croy.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.